


The Armchair

by thekatthatbarks



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, romacne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22215292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekatthatbarks/pseuds/thekatthatbarks
Summary: Sakura.” Kakashi finally gave in and called out to her. He would feel bad about waking her up, but he was also jealous and mildly irritated she was able to sleep without him.She woke up instantly and shifted in the bed to look up at him. “What?”Kakashi didn’t think of himself as a prideful man, but he felt like he had to beat some down when he asked her, “Sakura, I know you’re upset with me, but can we please still sleep in the same bed?”
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 278





	The Armchair

Kakashi stared at the bed in the dark, barely able to make out the outline of Sakura buried in the blankets. His chest felt tight as he stood there, and his guts twisted into knots in his stomach. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He’d been hopeful Sakura was still awake, but she was fast asleep. He thought about going back to the armchair - t _hat stupid uncomfortable damn arm chair_ – but then he noticed, she was on the left side.

_Still on the left side._

Kakashi had never thought he could get so attached to a routine. He’d always been taught to adapt and overcome, to not get to comfortable in one way. _The man who refuses to change will remain behind._ But he was wrong. Even something as small as this he had become accustomed to – _dependent_ on. It made him wonder what bigger things he was going to find that he couldn’t live without.

It had been a couple years since he and Sakura had formed this two-man team and now almost all their missions were with each other. Kakashi had thought it was her over protectiveness and worry that made her propose it after he resigned as Hokage and was back on the mission roster. But they worked well together – _more than well_. Kakashi didn’t think he’d ever had a fellow shinobi he worked so seamlessly with. He knew it was because of how long they’d known each other and how close they had become in fifteen years. He’d had plenty of more than competent teammates when he was in ANBU and other jounin as well. But… there was none he felt as safe and relaxed with as Sakura.

If he thought back far enough, he could probably pinpoint when they first shared a bed together. But he didn’t know if he could think of when they started doing it outside of necessity. Or when one of them invested in a larger bed roll so they could sleep next to each other when they were on the road. It had just happened naturally and without comment.

It didn’t matter, anyway. Not right now. What mattered was that Kakashi had apparently got so _attached_ to that, he couldn’t sleep without her. Of course, at home, he had the slightest trouble falling asleep, but he eventually _would_. Not tonight though, only tossing and turning in the stiffest armchair man has ever created. _He probably had bruises all over from that damn thing._

And all because of a stupid fight, Kakashi had gotten kicked out of the bed. Like they were married, and he’d been vanished to the couch.

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. _What were they doing? How was any of this normal?_ If Kakashi had a better grasp on his emotions, he would suggest they talked – _they clearly needed to_. But he didn’t, so until he got it together or Sakura snapped one day, they would just continue whatever backwards thing they were doing.

But that was for later. Right now, he needed to _sleep_. They’d been fighting enemy nin what seemed like all day and he’d maybe gotten two hours the night before when they made camp. There was still more to do tomorrow. _He needed to sleep._

“Sakura.” Kakashi finally gave in and called out to her. He would feel bad about waking her up, but he was also jealous and mildly irritated _she_ was able to sleep without _him_.

She woke up instantly and shifted in the bed to look up at him. “What?”

Kakashi didn’t think of himself as a prideful man, but he felt like he had to beat some down when he asked her, “Sakura, I know you’re upset with me, but can we please still sleep in the same bed?”

She was quite for a moment and he could barely make out her face, but he imagined how she’d bite her lip as she mulled it over. She sighed. “Okay.”

Kakashi didn’t waste any time in grabbing his pillow and the extra blanket from the chair before settling into the bed with her. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he felt better. With the warmth from Sakura so close, he could breathe easier and finally relax. She had just been on the other side of the room before; he didn’t understand how this made such a difference but it did. Maybe it was about her being in arms reach – if he needed her, if she needed him. How he knew she was safe if he could just reach out and check. How he felt he was safe with her by his side.

He would’ve decided they were thoughts for another time but then Sakura asked him quietly, “Could you not sleep?”

He looked at her when she spoke but was only met with her back. She’d rolled over when he’d joined her, and it made his heart ache. “No.”

“I couldn’t either,” she admitted, “I’ve been waking up like every thirty minutes.”

Kakashi felt relieved at that, then guilty at being relieved. “We got used to this pretty quickly, didn’t we?”

Sakura sighed. “Yeah we did.”

The silence returned and Kakashi knew he’d have to apologize to her. He was too harsh on her even though he still thought he was right. He was resolving to do it in the morning so they could get some sleep when Sakura rolled over to face him.

“Kakashi, I’m sorry.” She surprised him. He could see her face now, the frustration in between her eyebrows and the pout of her lips as she frowned.

“Sakura – “

“No.” She closed her eyes and let out a huff. “I’m sorry. You were right and I was just being defensive. I had no right to get so upset at you and blame you for my frustrations.”

Kakashi sighed. “I might’ve been too harsh on you.”

She gave him a small smile, opening her eyes. “It was deserved. I was being reckless, and you were right – medics shouldn’t make themselves into martyrs. If I’d gotten hurt and then _you_ got hurt, I might not have been able to heal you. I’d have failed as a medic.”

“It would’ve been a different story if I hadn’t had it under control,” Kakashi reiterated what he’d told her earlier, but finally in a calmer manner. They had both let their emotions get the best of them today.

“I know.” Sakura turned onto her back. “I just couldn’t… push my emotions to the back of my mind. Not today. I couldn’t tell you why.” Kakashi could hear what was unspoken so wasn’t surprised when she said, “Maybe we shouldn’t go on missions together anymore.”

He still didn’t want to hear it even though she was probably right. He sighed and she met his eyes. “I don’t want to watch you sacrifice yourself for me.”

“I –“ She stopped and bit the inside of her cheek. She was going to deny it, but they both knew that the chance of her blocking that attack earlier was very slim – even if she had managed to do it. She turned back on her side and reached out for him, holding his face in her hand. “I don’t want to watch you do that either. But… I also can’t promise anything.”

Kakashi chuckled, wrapping his hand around hers. “I can’t either.”

“So, where does that leave us?” Her voice was so soft, but it sounded so loud in the quiet of the night.

Kakashi hadn’t made many impulsive decisions in his life, but he did then. He pulled Sakura closer to him by the hand while pulling down his mask with the other. “Somewhere I think we’ve been dancing around for a while now.”

Her cheeks were dusted with pink as she smiled and Kakashi wasn’t the one to finally close the distance between them. Just like everything else about her, the way her lips moved against his made him feel loved and safe.

_Reason for determination of team: Couples/Family members are not permitted to be assigned to the same mission without explicit Hokage approval._


End file.
